Garment for holding workmen against falling



Apnl 6, 1965 R. R. HLACIA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING I Filed July 5, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Mum/we p 6, 1965 R. R. HLACIA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Filed July 5, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 2 K01 A/vp fioaferA m 6/4 A ril 6, 1965 R. R. HLACIA3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Filed July 5, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Ram/v0 Passer HLAc/A April 1965 R. R. HLAClA 3,176,793

GARMENT FOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Filed July 5, 1962 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Pom/v0 0aaer Hum/4 United States Patent M 3,176,793GARMENTFOR HOLDING WORKMEN AGAINST FALLING Roland Robert Hlacia, 36 RueChauveau, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. 207,737Claims priority, application France, July 7, 1961,

867,224, Patent 1,301,410

4 Claims. '(Cl. 182-6) Various legal and governmental regulationsrequire, in all countries, contractors and manufacturers to supply theirworkmen assigned to jobs during which they risk falling, with protectingmeans and apparatus adapted to prevent serious and even less seriousaccidents.

Unfortunately, the protecting means proposed hitherto are heavy andbulky and are liable sometimes to injure the workmen, in particular onthe spine or by breaking the workmens ribs, and for this reason, evenwhen such apparatus are actually available to the workmen, the latterare reluctant to use -them and even refuse their use.

My invention relates to dungarees, boiler suits or the like garmentsincorporating a safety working harness com- .prisinga strap of yieldingand light material, which is also resistant as in the case of nylon orof any other animal or vegetable fibres,

Said straps or harnesses form, on the one hand, two loops passing aroundthe workmans thighs and extending in proximity with the crotch and, onthe other hand, two other loops connected each with one of the precedingloops and passing over the workmans shoulders, while two attachingpoints at least are provided over the chest of the workman, at whichpoints the harness may be secured to a stationary point by means of arope.

The harness or strap may be associated with a belt rigid with saidharness or otherwise. The harness or strap may also be incorporated withthe boiler suit or the like garment and it may be sewn entirely orpartly inside the garment, or else, it may engage loops or keepers onthe garment. It may also be fitted entirely or partly inside sheathsrigid with said garment.

The Whole arrangement may be associated with a belt rigid with the strapor otherwise and/or further straps surrounding the thighs and secured tothe garment, either partly or completely.

The strap is positioned preferably inside the garment so as to form twodouble loops which do not increase substantially its weight while thegarment retains its essential yieldingness and allows thus the workmanor the like user to execute, without being hindered, all the movementsrequired for accomplishing the job assigned to him. At certainpredetermined points, the strap or harness extends r outside thedungarees, so as to form as many loops for the engagement and securingof a safety member such assplit rings, snap rings, connected with safetyropes and the like.

- The whole arrangement may be finished by a belt-forming strap and afurther auxiliary half belt engaging the hips and it is also possible toassociate with this arrangement a further loop-forming strap fittedaround each thigh, so as to cooperate in holding the garment fast on thebody in case of a fall.

The accompanying drawings illustrated, by way of example, a preferredembodiment of my improved safety garment. In said drawings FIG. 1 is afront view of a man wearing such a garment.

FIG. 2 shows him as seen from the back.

FIG. 3 shows the actual harness independently of the garment, as sewninside the dungarees which are not illustrated for sake of clarity,together with the manner of forming the original strap into two doubleloops.

3,176,793 Fatented Apr. 6, 1965 FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3showing a modifica tion in the loops of the harness.

As illustrated, my improved safety garment comprises generally aso-called boiler suit or dungarees which may be made of any desiredfabric. 1

Inside the garment is sewn a safety harness 2 formed by a continuousstrap sewn together or otherwise and made of any synthetic, animal orvegetable material. Said strap forms loops as illustrated in particularin FIG. 3 and also in FlG. 4 illustrating a modification. The loops Gand H are to be fitted over the wearers shoulders and the loopsI and Iunder his thighs.

Said strap should have a resistance against breaking of at least 1,000to 1,400 kg. The harness may be associated with a belt 3 made out of astrap of the same type, while a further strap 4 extending preferably inparallel with the belt strap 3 is adapted to engage the hips. It is alsopossible to resort to two further straps 5 surrounding the thighs abovethe knees.

The diilerent sections of the harness strap project outwardly beyond theinside of the garment so asto form at the points shown by hatchings A,B, C, D, E, small loops, or keepers through which the strap engages thegarment, said keepers serving chiefly for the engagement of safetymembers at D and E in registry with the pectorals, B and C at the hipsand A in the back of the wearer.

Similarly, each of the thigh straps 5 may be provided with an outerkeeper F. p

The points of crossing of the strapsections at A, B, C

v are carefully constructed, so as to ensure a constant relarope to theinterconnected sections A in the back of the wearer,

An anchoring attachment obtained by securing the anchoring rope to thecrossing points registering with the hips at B and C;

A safety attachment preventing falls over considerabl heights asprovided by inserting a safety rope underneath the pectoral loo-psection D, E.

It should be mentioned that the working implements may also be easilysecured to the crossing of the sections on the hips at B and C.

The garment disclosed cannot. disturb in any manner the movements of thewearer and it is not necessary to fasten the belt 3 or to close thegarment for working, although it cooperates in the safety obtained.

The pressures to which the wearer may be subjected when falling arereduced by the presence of the fabric forming the garment which is, inprinciple, secured to the actual harness, whatever may be the manner ofsecuring such a harness to the garment.

Experience has shown that the strap or harness may be used on an almostcompletely bare body, but it is then preferable to resort to a sheathedstrap which, in case of a fall, allows a slight shifting of the strap,while the sheath remains adherent to the wearers body. This reduces thepossible ecchymoses on the body of the wearer when fall ingfortuitously.

Lastly, instead of resorting to a boiler suit, the garment may bereduced to mere overalls with long or short legs, or even to breeches.

The applications of my improved garment are manifold and only a few ofthem may be mentioned hereinafter by way of a mere exemplification andin a non-exhaustive manner: public works, buildings, various plants,timbering, quarries, wells, laying of pipes, digging of pits,construction of vats, roofs, window-framing, general upkeep, bridgebuilding.

It may also serve for orcharding and wood cutting and also in certainsports such as Alpinism, speieology and the like.

left shoulder, downwardly over the left portion of his chest, rearwardlyabout his left buttocks, downwardly and forwardly through the wearerscrotch, then upwardly and rearwardly crossing, on the wearers left sideabove the hip, the portion extending downwardly on the left chest, thencontinuing upwardly and rearwardly about the \vearers body to saidcrossing point at the wearers back, forming loops embracing theshoulders and thighs of the wearer.

2. A safety harness according to claim 1 encased in a body-embracinggarment and having portions extending through to the exterior of thegarment at the crossing oints of the stra at the wearers back, above thewearers P hi s and each side of the wearers chest to rovide re ions P Pc for attachment to one end of a flexible safety member.

'3. A safety harness comprising a first strap passing successively froma crossing point on the wearers back Wardly over the right side of hischest, rearwardly about his right buttocks, downwardly and forwardlythrough his crotch, upwardly about the wearers left thigh, rearwardlyabove the wearers left hip to said crossing point, and a second strappassing successively from said crossing point up over the wearers leftshoulder, downwardly over the left side of his chest, rearwardly abouthis left buttocks, downwardly and forwardly through his crotch, aboutthe wearers right thigh, rearwardly above the wearers right hip to saidcrossing point, said straps crossing at said crossing point at theWearers back and above each hip, and forming loops embracing the wearersshoulders and thighs.

4. A safety harness according to claim 3 encased in a body-embracinggarment and having portions extending through to the exterior of thegarment at the crossing points of the strap at the wearers back, abovethe wearers hips and each side of the wearers chest to provide regionsfor attachment to one end of a flexible safety member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,574,529 2/26Abraham 182-6 1,849,628 3/32 Lemercier 244-443 2,448,066 8/48 Wilson182- 3 2,647,293 8/53 Wintercorn 182-6 2,887,286 5/59 Moran 244-1432,979,153 4/61 Hoagland 182-8 ARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

1. A SAFETY HARNESS COMPRISING A STRAP PASSING SUCCESSIVELY FROM ACROSSING POINT ON THE WEARER''S BACK BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS UP OVE HISRIGHT SHOULDER, DOWNWARDLY OVER THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS CHEST, REARWARDLYABOUT HIS RIGHT BUTTOCKS, DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY THROUGH HIS CROTCH,UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY CROSSING, ON THE WEARER''S RIGHT SIDE ABOVE THEHIP, THE PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY ON THE RIGHT CHEST, THENCONTINUING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY ABOUT THE WEARER''S BODY TO SAIDCROSSING POINT, SAID STRAP CONTINUING FROM THE CROSSING POINT UP OVERTHE WEARER''S LEFT SHOULDER, DOWNWARDLY OVER THE LEFT PORTION OF HISCHEST, REARWARDLY ABOUT HIS LEFT BUTTOCKS, DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLYTHROUGH THE WEARER''S CROTCH, THEN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY CROSSING, ONTHE WEARER''S LEFT SIDE ABOVE THE HIP, THE PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLYON THE LEFT CHEST, THEN CONTINUING UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY ABOUT THEWEARER''S BODY TO SAID CROSSING POINT AT THE WEARER''S BACK, FORMINGLOOPS EMBRACING THE SHOULDERS AND THIGHS OF THE WEARER.